Post navigation

Fun Facts About Gold – Part 1

At APMEX, we’ve scoured the Internet looking for fun and interesting facts about gold for our readers.

This is the first in a two-part series that will introduce 50 fun facts about gold. Some are common knowledge, some will be new to you. Enjoy these first 25 and check back next week for 25 more!

An American Gold Eagle. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79.

Gold has been sought for coinage, jewelry and arts since the beginning of recorded history.

Gold occurs as nuggets, grains in rocks, veins and alluvial deposits.

Gold is the most malleable metal known; an ounce of gold can be beaten into 300 square feet and can be beaten thin enough to become translucent.

Gold has a bright yellow color which is maintained without oxidization in air or water.

The special issue Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coin contains the highest purity gold of any bullion coin, at 99.999% or .99999 fineness, while the popular issue Canadian Gold Maple Leaf coin has a purity of 99.99%.

Gold is a coinage metal and serves as a symbol of wealth and store of value.

Gold has been linked to a variety of symbolisms and ideologies; in ancient Chinese, the symbol for gold was the circle with a point at its center (☉), which was also the astrological symbol and ancient Chinese character for the sun.